AirTag vs Tile
Apple recently released their “AirTag” tracking device. It is similar to a tile, which was previously a very popular item. The way these items work is that they connect via bluetooth to either an apple device or a device with the tile app, respectively, to track the item. In class, we learned that when one product controls the market, it is very difficult for another to gain popularity, even if it is better. We saw the example that the qwerty keyboard is still in use even though many better alternatives have existed. This is because it is hard for new products with a strong competitor to hit their “tipping point”.
However, the AirTag may be different. This is because of network effects. AirTags will work far more effectively than tiles due to the sheer number of apple users. There are almost a billion apple devices, compared to only millions of devices with the tile app. Because of this, the AirTag will be far more accurate than the tile. It is far more likely that there will be any apple device within the vicinity of the product than a device that happens to have the tile app. We know that new products usually have trouble, but network effects may be able to help apple hit the tipping point for their new AirTag. On top of this, the AirTag retails for close to the same price as the tile, so there should not be any issues there.
The article I have linked describes some of the differences between the two products. https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/05/cnn-underscored/apple-airtags-vs-tile-tracker/index.html